The Forsaken

Once again, Damali Richards and Carlos Rivera find themselves at odds. Although they briefly overcame their differences to save the world in Tibet, neither can forgive the other for mistakes made while infected with the virus literally from Hell. Damali especially cannot conquer her rage and while composing a new song in her bath, she is both frightened and tempted when she receives a visitation from her so-called muse, who bears the markings of a male Neteru just as her lover Carlos does. Unbeknownst to Damali, this visitation has been orchestrated by her arch-nemesis, Lilith, who plans to use Cain, who has been banished to the mythical Land of Nod for eons, as her ultimate weapon of destruction. Cain bears the Neteru mark because his mother, Eve was the first female Neteru, but on his father’s side, he is the grandson of the Devil himself. To win this battle, Damali and Carlos must learn much about forgiveness and love, but will they learn in time to save the world from this unspeakable evil?

THE FORSAKEN is Ms Banks’ latest entry in her Vampire Huntress Legends. It must be noted that this series is seemingly moving away from vampire slaying, a la Buffy, towards saving the world from whatever evil entity Hell is throwing up next. It is as complex as any other entry in this series, and in this reviewer’s opinion, the best yet. We are treated to extended visits with both male and female members of the Neteru Council and given more of an idea of how the Council functions. Not to give anything away, but after all of the angst suffered by Damali and Carlos as they go through their growing pains, the ending of the book is surprisingly sweet. This reviewer marvels at the amount of imagination and research that Ms. Banks has done to put this series together, and lauds her for keeping her African-American characters true to their cultural background, both in language and decision making. This series however, is not written just to appeal to people of color although it is refreshing to see a series that features main characters that happen to be Black and Hispanic. Once again, lovers of paranormal romance who like suspense and even suspense fans who don’t mind a little paranormal will love this book and series. This reviewer has certainly become a fan!

November 2006